Panic in Moscow as bus passengers ordered to bomb shelters 'over Ukrainian nuclear attack'

Bus passengers in Moscow were ordered to rush to bomb shelters because of a supposed imminent nuclear strike by Ukraine - which does not possess the weapons. A video shows a woman passenger as she heard the false warning on Tuesday over the intercom of bus 191 to Grachevskaya station in the Russian capital.

Moscow transport officials say the alarming messages followed an operation by unknown hackers. The intercom on the bus suddenly told passengers: "Attention, attention! Ukraine is threatening us with a nuclear bombardment....!"

It went on: "I repeat! Attention, attention!

"Ukraine is threatening us with a nuclear bombardment!

"Everyone to the shelters! Attention! Attention! Ukraine is threatening us with a nuclear bombardment!"

Ukraine gave up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons more than 40 years ago and has not developed any since.

It is not known how many buses were affected by the message but it involved services run by the Transavtoliz company which operates hundreds of services.

Amid confusion and concern from the message, the authorities rushed to assure travellers there was no need to panic from the false threat.

A Moscow transport spokesman said: "Audio messages that did not correspond to reality were played in the buses.

"Currently, specialists are checking the network infrastructure and eliminating the consequences of unauthorised access."

Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in December 1994 in return for guarantees from Russia, the US and UK under the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances pledging to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and existing borders, and to refrain from the use of force or economic coercion against it.

Russia has one of the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world.

Vladimir Putin has continued to rattle the nuclear-sabre during the Ukraine conflict as part of attempts to pressure the West over its support to Kyiv.

He told state TV earlier this year that the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine had not arisen, adding: "And I hope they will not be required."

Mr Putin is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday for talks focused on ending the war.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 and has suffered more than one million casualties.